Title: Rushing In
Series: The Blackhawk Boys #2
Author: Lexi Ryan
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: August 30, 2016
Synopsis
The favor seemed simple: Keep my new stepsister out of trouble for one summer.
I’ve never met Grace Lee, but Mom tells me she’s a quiet and artsy college student with a troubled past. When I agreed to let her stay with me, I thought it was no big deal. I expected to share my apartment with a sullen girl who’d spend hours locked in her room.
I didn’t expect a walking fantasy determined to make me lose my cool.
I didn’t expect a woman with secrets so dark, so deep, I’d throw away everything if it would save her from the past.
Rushing in to do this favor is turning my life upside down—and not just because Grace needs her ass spanked. Keep her out of trouble? Grace is the trouble. And I want in.
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Excerpt
Rushing In Excerpt
© 2016 by Lexi Ryan
Chris arches a brow and skims his gaze over my
body—correction, my dress and Chucks. “You’re gonna go hiking in that?”
I shrug. “It’s not like it’s full-length and gonna get
tangled around my legs or anything.”
His gaze drifts down my body again, this time landing on the
thigh visible beneath the hem of my dress. “It’s certainly not,” he mumbles,
and the way he says it has my cheeks burning and me reaching for my water.
So damn thirsty.
We finish packing up our lunch together, and after we put
the cooler back in the car, I grab the park pamphlet out of the front seat.
“Come on,” I say, nodding in the direction of the outlook. “It’s my turn to be
in charge.”
The park is beautiful, but as soon as we enter the woods and
I see the overlook, my breath catches. From here, we have a view of the ravine
below and the creek rushing through the bottom. Mossy rock faces make up the
ravine walls, and trees protrude from them. It’s possibly the most beautiful
thing I’ve ever seen.
I head past the overlook and take the stairs down into the
ravine. It’s shady back here and feels ten degrees cooler than our picnic table
in the sun.
At the bottom of the stairs, the trail splits in three
directions, and when I follow the sign with the three, Chris puts his hand on
my arm. “Hey, this one has ladders.”
I arch a brow and drop my gaze to my shoes. “I can handle
it.”
Something passes over his face I don’t understand, and then
he sighs and nods. “Okay, but I’m climbing the ladders behind you. If any creep
is going to be looking up your dress today, it’s gonna be me.”
My cheeks heat, and my brain instantly diagrams his words
and starts analyzing the nuance of each. Just comedy or more? Stupid brain.
“Fair enough.”
He mutters something that sounds like “Dreams really do come
true,” but I can’t be sure.
The trail leads down into the ravine and along the creek
bed. It’s so much cooler down here, and I love the sound of the creek rock
crunching under my feet as we walk along.
By the time we come upon the first ladder, there’s no one
else around.
“Ladies first,” he says, gesturing toward the ladder.
“Pervert,” I mutter, but I move forward and begin my climb.
The rungs are coated in mud, and when I’m halfway up, one foot slips and
suddenly Chris’s hands are there, holding me steady, his hands strong and warm
against the backs of my legs.
My breath catches, and I force myself to breathe and find my
footing. The feel of his hands against my skin causes something to swirl hot and
tight low in my belly.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice as thick as the forest
beyond the trail.
I’m not okay. I’m afraid to move. Afraid not to move.
Trapped by a fear that has nothing to do with a slippery ladder and everything
to do with falling.
Then, slowly, his thumbs begin to slide over my skin. His
hands inch up my thighs until his fingertips skim the bottom edge of my
underwear and slip under to trace the bottom curve of my ass.
I cannot breathe.
I force myself to turn my head and look down at him. His jaw
is set tight, a picture of self-control, but when his eyes meet mine, his face
relaxes and he shoots me a boyish grin. I attempt my best poker face. “Are you
copping a feel, Christopher Montgomery?”
His grin goes wide, putting his dimples on full display. “I
don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, his Southern accent drawing out
his words. “I’m just trying to perform a necessary rescue mission.”
“Do I look like I need rescuing?” I ask. Under the lace edge
of my panties, his thumb strokes again, a long, slow motion that makes me want
to close my eyes and moan. I resist and hold his gaze.
“Who said you’re the one I’m rescuing? Maybe I’m trying to
save myself.” He drops his hands and grabs a hold of the sides of the ladder,
then he climbs up behind me so his body is pressed against mine, my back to his
front. His mouth hovers above my ear, his breath hot and uneven. “Because I
swear if I have to go much longer without touching you, I’m going to implode.”
His lips skim my earlobe, and my eyes float closed. My brain
has no room for sight when it’s overloaded with sensations. His lips on my ear.
His hard chest against my back. His breath against my neck. “I need to know,
Grace.”
I open my eyes and swallow hard. I don’t want to talk. Not
right now. I’m too afraid I’ll ruin this moment with my choppy stutter. “What?”
“I need to know . . .” He leans his forehead against my
shoulder, and I watch his knuckles turn white as he tightens his grip on the
side of the ladder.
On the ground beneath us, someone clears his throat. “You
two heading up or down?”
Chris mutters a curse and takes a step down so I have the
freedom to move. I scramble up the ladder with him behind me. When we reach the
top, I can’t look at him.
“Sorry about that,” he calls to the people below, then he
grabs my wrist and pulls me off to the right toward a rocky alcove just off the
trail. A wooden sign tells me this is “The Devil’s Ice Box,” and beyond the
sign, a thin waterfall drizzles into a pool of crystal-clear water. Chris leads
the way, following the rocky edge around to the backside of this semi-secluded space
and stopping by the waterfall. I pass him, feigning interest in the rocks and
water so I don’t have to meet his eyes. There’s a cavern behind the waterfall,
a haven from the falling water.
“I have to know,” Chris says, his words nearly drowned out
by the falling water. “Is it just me? Everything I feel when you’re close to
me? Tell me you feel it too.”
Also Available
Football. Secrets. Lies. Passion.
These boys don’t play fair.
Which Blackhawk Boy will steal your heart?
#3 Going Under – Sebastian’s story
Coming Late 2016
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of emotional romance that sizzles, Lexi enjoys reading, sunshine, a good glass of wine, and rare trips to the beach.
Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and neurotic dog. You can find her at her website: lexiryan.com
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